BM is such a consistently strong and experienced squad. With Robben and Ribery going up and down the flanks, unless Dortmund scored early it was going to be a long day. Dortmund's defense is just average and the few early chances missed hurt them and Dembele was just plain awful. Against BM on the road you must play exceptionally well. CP needed to see the ball more but after the first 25 minutes it was just not going to be. That late game run and shot was outstanding. Tuchel needs to deal with Dembele, because it could have been 2-2 at half if Dembele had made better decisions.
you mean when arjen robbery and frank robbery decide to play, this team is nearly unstoppable. Most people think these guys are oft injured. They are not, they are just prolonging their careers. Enough regular season games to stay relatively fit for the championship matches. Ever wonder how Arjen Robbery is always in play for the championship matches? Both are very smart professionals.
CP was decent today, but Bayern wanted to show just how big the gap is. All the arm chair defenders anytime Robben plays always crack me up, "I would never let him cut inside", "why do people let him do that?", etc. He keeps the ball so tight he can tell you exactly what he is going to do and still skin world class defenders and then his shots are sublime benders. Arjen Robben is a Galactic Class player who has never gotten enough credit imo. For much of his career he has been the third best player in the world.
Exactly. If he didn't dive so much I'd love the guy. He always knows exactly what he wants to do and is looking not for a mistake but for that completely normal moment in a defender's stride that gives him a chance to do it. Even a lesser player like Preki did something similar. Everybody in the stadium knew he was cutting the ball back to set up his left and yet he still managed to pull it off over and over again.
Well put. Same thing with Luis Figo. Even at the end of his career (the Inter years) when he had lost much of his speed he still managed to burn opposing players with an almost monotonous regularity, thanks to his superior technique and anticipation.
Only watched about 20 minutes of the match but " men against boys" comes to mind. Also agree about Robben. These are professional defenders and managers who prepare to play against him and they all know and surely stress thst he loves to cut inside. No one is forgetting this, Robben is just masterful at making it happen despite a defenders wishes.